Doc Rivers, Candace Parker Lead 2026 Basketball Hall Of Fame

The typical excitement of the annual March Madness Final Four comes with the NBA announcing its latest Hall of Fame class, and this year, we’re getting a sneak preview a few days early.

According to ESPN, some of the biggest names are Amar’e Stoudemire, Doc Rivers, Candace Parker, and Elena Della Donne.

Stoudemire was the ninth overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and was selected by the Phoenix Suns, where he won Rookie of the Year and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and was named an All-Star five times before leaving for the New York Knicks in 2010. While in NYC, his game improved as he entered the tail end of his prime, getting another All-Star nod in 2011. After stints with the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, he went overseas to Israel, where he has already been inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Doc Rivers was a McDonald’s All-American himself before playing most of his career with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was named an All-Star in 1988. Though a solid player, he really hit his stride with coaching, getting named Coach of the Year in 2000, and winning with the legendary Boston Celtics trio in 2008, and led the Milwaukee Bucks to win the second-ever NBA Cup in 2024. The NBA already stamped its greatest when they quietly named him one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, which was announced alongside the league’s 75th anniversary team.

Candace Parker is one of the most important players in the modern WNBA. It was obvious early when she was named the Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year award twice in high school before heading to Tennessee and leading the Lady Vols to the 2007 and 2008 national championships. After becoming the first woman to dunk in the NCAA tourney, she dominated the WNBA. She won a 2016 championship with her longtime team, the Los Angeles Sparks, in 2021 with the Chicago Sky, and in 2023 with the Las Vegas Aces.

Delle Donne comes from the same era as Parker, with an impressive resume of her own, including two MVP awards, making her the first WNBA player to join the 50–40–90 club. En route to making seven All-Star teams, she also maintains the all-time leader in WNBA career free-throw percentage with 93.7%— even after retiring.

See social media’s reaction to the latest Basketball Hall of Fame class below.